PITOM is a young, dynamic and proactive company, strongly oriented to robotics and to the design and manufacturing of autopilots and unmanned Aerial, Ground and Marine vehicles.Founded in March 2011 by former researchers from the Department of Electrical Systems and Automation, University of Pisa (DSEA), PITOM reflects the dream of its founders to bring into civilian applications the advanced military technology in unmanned vehicles.PITOM's team, bound by a deep friendship born within the University structure, has built its expertise through extensive experience in national and international projects matured as researchers within the DSEA, placing particular attention to the development of Guidance, Navigation, and Control systems for unmanned vehicles.

Part of PITOM's team participated in the DARPA Urban Challenge 2007 (USA), worldwide recognized to be the greatest challenge in the history of Ground Robotics. The challenge, the last of three major events organized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, aimed at the development of new technologies to make cars and trucks move autonomously within urban traffic while respecting traffic rules.At the end of the project, conducted with the DSEA and the Ohio State University, the automated OSU-ACT Toyota Highlander SUV was able to automatically plan the best route to complete the mission, recognize and approach intersections, manage their priorities, recognize and avoid obstacles, overtake, park, perform U-turns, etc.

In June 2011, PITOM's team signed the first industrial agreement. The collaboration with a European market leader for the development of ground robots provided a first important boost for the company.At the same time, the design of piShip autonomous boat started. At the end of 2011 new robots were conceived, including piCopter, a family of autonomous multirotors designed with clear specifications of modularity, reliability and versatility. to overcome closure and limited features of commercial autopilots and Ground Control Station (GCS), PITOM's team decided to develop its own products. That brought to piCore and piMEGS conceptual design, and to the manufacturing of a top level family of autopilots, with native fault tolerant architecture, and a user-friendly, cross-platform and multi-vehicle GCS. piCore and piMEGS are now deployed across the full range of autonomous vehicles made by PITOM.Strong contacts and collaborations with universities and technologically advanced research institutions contribute to the growth of the team and to the strengthening of the young corporate brand.